FCTA expresses satisfaction over Yellow fever vaccination in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has expressed satisfaction with the successes recorded in the ongoing Yellow fever preventive mass vaccination campaign in Abuja.
The Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS), FCT, Malam Adamu Bappah, said this while monitoring the exercise at some of the vaccination points within Nyanya, Karu, Jikwoyi and Karshi axis of the FCT on Wednesday.

Bappah said that the exercise was well conducted with large turnout of people, which he described as `very encouraging’.

The scribe, however, enjoined residents to ensure that they received the vaccination, particularly those between the ages of nine months and 44 years.
He stressed the need for the eradication of yellow fever epidemic, adding that three confirmed cases had been reported so far in the FCT.

“The vaccination will cover duration of two streams, which the first stream was from Nov. 24 to Nov. 29, covering 35 wards in the territory.

“The second stream is from Nov. 30 to Dec. 7 covering 27 wards,” he said.
He noted that school premises, places of worship and hospitals were centres used for the mass vaccination.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that yellow fever preventive mass vaccination campaign had recently taken place at Dangaza Village under the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

Drug abuse will cause generation of mad people

The high level of drug abuse in Nigeria could cause a generation of mad people in the next 20 years, if drug abuse and trafficking are not checked.

Drug-Free Arewa Campaign Movement, an NGO, expressed the concern during an advocacy visit to the Kaduna State Attorney-General, Umma Hikima, on Tuesday in Kaduna.

Mr. Ibrahim Yusuf, Lead Convener of the movement, had earlier led members for a walk in some streets of Kaduna to raise awareness among residents on the dangers of drug abuse and trafficking.

The walk, tagged `Arewa Day of Action’, was organised by the movement under the auspices of Arewa Young Leaders Initiative to raise awareness against drug abuse to secure a drug-free society in the north.

Yusuf told the attorney general that the level of drug abuse in the northern region was alarming and require collective action by all stakeholders to tame it.

According to him, the nation’s future leaders are currently trapped by the menace of drug and substance abuse and if not rescued will give birth to a generation of mad people with unimaginable consequences.

“Our campaign against drug trafficking and abuse intends to position youths in Northern Nigeria as leaders with capacity to emulate the excellent leadership skills of our founding fathers.

“And we can only achieve this by addressing drug abuse and free our youths from its trap.”

Yusuf urged the attorney general to ensure that all relevant laws to stem the circulation of illicit drugs were enforced and traffickers effectively punished, so as to take the drugs off the streets.

He also sought for partnership with the ministry of justice in creating sustained awareness among youths in the state to shun drugs and live decent lives.

According to him, the group has reached out to 23 million youth across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory with information on how to avoid drug addiction or lured into drug trafficking.

Also speaking, Mr Joshua Gadzama of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, commended the group for the effort to raise awareness against drug abuse.

According to him, about 90 per cent of the youth population in the country are involved in one form of drug abuse or the other, stressing that creating the needed awareness will go along way in curbing the trend.

Responding, the Attorney-General commended the group for the initiative, describing it as crucial to raising needed awareness for effective prevention.

Hikima, who was represented by Bayero Dari, Director Public Prosecution, said: “90 per cent of the cases we prosecute are cases motivated by use of drugs.

“I want to assure you that we will key into this initiative in ensuring that youth in Kaduna state desist from wasting their lives to drugs.”

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The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has developed a 4-year Strategic Health Development Plan (SHDP) that will require about N162 billion to execute.

The Secretary, FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS), Adamu Bappah who made this disclosure in Abuja during the end of year press briefing, said that N7.9 billion was spent on healthcare delivery in the FCT for 2018.

He said FCT Strategic Health Development Plan (SHDP) 2018-2022 has been developed, which will provide policy and pragmatic directives of the FCT health sector for the next five years.

According to Bappa, the strategic blueprint would be sourced from budgetary allocations, Internally Generated Revenue from health services, international donors such as the World Health Organization (WHO).

”United States Department for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund, among others.
Highlighting major achievements of the Secretariat in 2018, Bappa revealed that N200 million was spent on recapitalization of the Drug Revolving Fund.

He also said that N1.3 billion was spent on drugs and medical supplies distributed to various FCT Hospitals and commodities for control of HIV cost N2.5 billion.

More achievements of the Secretariat include establishment of Public Health Emergency Operation Centre with support from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, ongoing construction of 12 Primary Health Centres and 12 solar powered boreholes in the Six FCT Area Councils, Public Health Laboratory for routine screening for food handlers, as well as construction and equipping of 220 bed Gwarinpa District Hospital, which is at 30 percent completion.

The Secretariat also recorded increase in the coverage of mother to child HIV transmission from 36.7 to 81.1 percent, immunization coverage from 63.4 to 80.5 percent, increased distribution of mosquito treated net from 16.5 to 36 percent and distributed over N1.3 billion worth of drugs to FCTA hospitals.

Accordingly, a total of 4075 clients, consisting 1127 principals and 2948 dependents were enrolled under FHSS, secured accreditation for residency training in opthalmology in Asokoro District Hospital, Residency training in general surgery for Bwari General Hospital and distributed 45255 rapid diagnostics test kits for to health facilities in the Area Councils.

He added that the secretariat is collaborating with Institute of Human Virology to develop a database for all health workers in the FCT 60 per cent reporting rate on submission and utilization statistics at health facilities has been achieved while 508 public and private health facilities in the FCT are on District Health Information System Platform National Server.

Bappa however decried that the Secretariat was confronted with challenges such as funding, epidemics, understaffing, delayed budgetary releases and overstretched amenities.

He urged the Federal Government for more funding as well as partnership to fulfill the responsibility of providing and delivering health services to the public.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Secretary debunked insinuations that there was outbreak of any disease in any part of the FCT. (NAN)